I nodded automatically after figuring out he meant the gun I carried. Anyway, I was happy to let him lead on that part. Shane continued talking.

“I guess that you already know that you’re making a dangerous enemy. I certainly don’t want to be in your shoes after this.”

He leaned forward while Sally reached over and squeezed my arm.

“Joe, take us to the park.”

I glanced at her pale face and shook my head. My forced grin tried to reassure her. However, I recognized something else that O’Conner inadvertently told me by his observation. Antonio might let some of those in the cab leave to reduced witnesses. That scenario meant the judge and his bodyguard held no obligation to assist anyone forced to stay once Sally paid the money.

I should really think things through better. I frowned as my thoughts screamed at me.

The cab stopped in front of a bench where Judge Seabury talked with a group of small children. The elderly gentleman carried an air of authority. He wore horn-rimmed glasses and a bowler hat. His jacket lay over one leg as he intently listened to a young girl. When she finished, the man smiled and patted her head as he rose from his seat.

As I watched the scene from the cab, I couldn’t help but laugh inside when I thought about the young woman in the photo negatives I had in my pocket. Yet, this man wanted to keep his air of respectability. The thought led me to my cynical nature again.

At the end of the day, I think that everyone’s a hypocrite.

O’Conner stepped out of the cab, nodding to the judge, who came over to the car. The ex-cop took the front seat while the judge sat next to Sally. He smiled at her and tipped his hat as he introduced himself. The woman gave her name and thanked him for his help. The judge glanced at me before responding as the cab headed for our destination.

“Mrs. Vaugh, I wasn’t told that you were the person involved. However, I am a regular reader of your magazine, so I’m glad to help.”

He turned to Lane.

“Who is the other party?”

“Freddie Antonio. We’re heading to Rosetta’s,” I replied.

The judge did a good job of hiding his surprise. Then again, in my opinion, all lawyers are as honest as a used car salesman.

“Into the den of the lion, as they say,” Seabury replied.

His response amused me. I liked his feigned calm, although I’m sure he knew that his position appeared far safer than those sitting in the same seat.

“Tell me, my dear, did Mr. Dagger talk you into this scheme?” he asked Sally.

The woman nodded.

“Today I need to pay the money. I don’t have another option unless I plan on becoming one of his...associates.”

I noticed the judge blink twice at her statement. Her deadpan declaration along with the underlying hostility behind it made his gaze hardened with understanding. He looked out the front windshield with a frown. A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of the club. A couple of vehicles sat near the entrance, but the place was quiet. O’Conner told the cabbie to pull near the entrance, then paid the man five dollars to remain there until we returned.

Sally slid out of the cab, and I noticed her hands shaking. Not that I could blame her, since the butterflies bounced around my stomach when I started toward the door. The judge and O’Conner stood next to Sally when I glanced back.

I can’t believe I’m leading the charge.

Well, it is your stupid idea, I told myself.

The place carried an art déco look on the outside, with white stucco walls and rounded columns stretching up to the roof. The front door was a mix of glass and chrome with rounded handles.

As I opened the front door, a cool blast of air struck my face. The breeze made me think it was the second building I noticed that had air conditioning.

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I just hope the next building isn’t the morgue.

One of Antonio’s goons came toward me as I pushed past a red velvet curtain that covered the opening between two columns that looked like those outside the door. The darkness inside the club prevented me from seeing him until the last minute.

“We’re closed!”

“No, you’re not,” I responded, then moved aside for Sally to step past me.

The thug’s eyes narrowed when he noticed the other two men behind her.

“Follow me,” he grunted.

We walked across the red and gold carpet, passing the chrome tables and matching chairs. In the back of the large room, a long bar stood with shelves of bottles lining the back wall. A small stage sat on the left, next to double doors which appeared to lead into the kitchen area.

As we got closer to the bar, I finally saw Freddie Antonio for the first time. He sat at the back of a horseshoe booth with red leather benches. On one side of him, a small man with the posture of a toad sat. I immediately recognized him from a campaign poster I saw on Main Street. Paul Hyde’s eyes centered on Sally, then on the elderly judge who walked beside her. From my angle, I swore Hyde looked like that Peter Lorre guy I saw in the old movies with Karloff.

Why am I seeing these dead actors?

Hyde leaned over, whispering something to Antonio, who didn’t react.

For me, I walked outside of the group and slightly ahead. Stepping out of a hidden area behind the bar, the guy had the physique of a small gorilla. Apparently, someone recognized Lane Dagger because that thug man with a scarred face had his killer eyes focused on me. Forcing myself to smirk at the man, I kept telling myself to keep calm as I watched Sally. It’s embarrassing to hide your shaking hands at a time like this.

“Where’s Joe?” she asked Antonio, who eyed me and the judge.

The gangster smirked, then knocked on the wall behind him and another goon came out of the darkness behind the bar with Joe in tow. Sally’s husband had a small bottle of whiskey in his hand, along with a surprised expression. I doubted that he even understood what his wife had done for them. Joe nearly stumbled as he weaved his way next to Sally.

“Hun, it’s not what you think,” he slurred his excuse.

“Quiet Joe, take a seat,” she replied, not looking at him. Her eyes remained on Antonio.

As for the owner of the club, his smirk hardened. From my vantage point, I wanted him to be confused. However, the look he gave Sally showed he understood the reason for Judge Seabury’s presence.

“I’m glad you’re ready to complete the paperwork,” Antonio told Sally as he took control. “We’ll soon be close partners. Your friends aren’t needed for that.”

The woman’s vicious glare at Antonio made him smile. Sally pulled her purse off her shoulder, then opened it. She dumped the stacks of money on the table.

“Twenty thousand for Joe’s debt IOUs. I want them in my hands now.”

The gangster’s face eyes narrowed, and his mouth twitched at her actions before he quickly recovered.

“I’m afraid that doesn’t cover the interest. I’m...”

“Antonio let’s see those notes you have on her husband,” Seabury spoke up and stood next to the woman. “My client says today is the deadline. I’m the lawyer you don’t want involved in this affair if you’re trying to coerce this young lady. The district attorney is not your friend, as I recall.”

The man in the booth stiffened at the judge’s power move. He nodded to the toad man next to him. Antonio’s lawyer produced several pieces of paper, which he handed to the judge. For myself, I watched with newfound respect for Seabury. The man stood his ground despite the obvious threats inside the room.

“I see you need a better quality of legal counsel,” Seabury stated as he glanced over the documents. “These wouldn’t last an hour in an honest courtroom.”

He gave a bitter smile to Antonio, and he put the papers into his jacket. Antonio’s lawyer spoke out, asking for them back. His boss interrupted him.

“Shut up, Jimmy.”

“Now, we’ll be taking our leave,” Seabury told Antonio. “Come, Mrs. Vaugh.”

O’Conner kept his face to the table and slowly backed away as the judge turned around. Sally went to her husband, who sat at a table, leaning his arm on the top while trying to keep from falling asleep. Inside, I’m feeling like I’m on top of the world with how smoothly everything went. I started to leave when Antonio’s sneering laugh, followed by my name, drifted over.

“Lane Dagger, you’re the one who took a side today. That’s not like you. I thought we had an understanding. Johnny’s not happy, and you don’t have a bodyguard.”

Turning my head in Antonio’s direction, I noticed his glance to the right. Following it, I found the hulking brute with the scarred face only two paces away. He closed on me while I focused on the conversation at the booth. I moved to put a table between us, but I was too late. His enormous fist struck my chest, helping to send me back against another table. My back hit the corner and for a second, I thought my spine snapped. Fortunately, the table slid across the carpet, sending me to my backside. The thug came over me close enough for me to kick out with my foot and I caught his knee cap. Johnny grunted, grabbing his knee as I staggered to stand.

I caught sight of O’Conner and Seabury watching the fight, but they continued toward the door. Sally had Joe’s arm around her shoulder, not far behind the judge. Fear filled my mind, which finally grasped with the idea that I had no option but to fight my way out. So, I grabbed a chair just as Johnny got a hold on my shoulder. His fist caught me with a glancing blow to my cheek. Still, the shot made me catch a few stars. However, it wasn’t enough to stop me when I whipped around with the chair. Catching the thug’s shoulder, I heard a groan, then dropped the chair and hurried toward the others.

Unfortunately, the goon who led us to the table stood in my way. By this time, I’m getting winded, plus I’m not going to win many fights with my bare hands. So, I grabbed another chair and charged the man in my way. The grin on his face should have clued me in. He sidestepped the chair and came in to hit me when the momentum of my swing passed him. His concrete fist caught me in the back of the head, sending me to the floor. I look up at the entrance just a few paces away and see my cohorts are already gone. I’m happy and pissed off at the same time.

“Shit!”